Your internet speed heavily depends on your network equipment, such as the router or cable. The router is your home’s lifeline to the Internet. As more of our music, movies, live TV, phone lines, software, and home security services come flowing over a broadband connections, your router will grow even more important! If you have a router that is 802.11ac it should be new enough to support the higher speeds. You can find this serial number at the bottom of the router.

Number of users

Internet speed slowdowns will occur when a large number of people try to connect to the internet at the same time. These often happen during peak activity hours, such as after work hours when everyone gets home and tries to connect to the web. Similarly, on a crowded public Wi-Fi where many users are using one network (at the airport for example), slow internet speeds are typical. You might need to upgrade your Internet speed to support the number of users in your household.

Viruses

Once a virus or malware kicks in, it might be running in the background, connecting to the internet without your permission and draining your computer’s resources. Take precautions by installing an antivirus program.

The software you run

If you run too many apps that need to connect to the internet at the same time, things will naturally go slower. Some of them might run in the background without you noticing. Check the auto-update, sync or backup settings, for example, in file-sharing apps you use. Also, make sure you keep only the necessary add-ons and toolbars in your browser. Each of them is a separate small app that can take up a share of your bandwidth.